Valentine’s Day will soon be here.  

Have you made a dinner reservation for you and that special someone?  If you are not married, have you asked her to go out with you?  Even if you are married, have you asked her to go out to dinner that night?  Now is the time.

Have you stopped by a card shop somewhere to get that card that says just the right thing?  Now is the time.

Have you ordered flowers, or found that special gift?  Now is the time.

You say that you’re married?  Valentine’s Day celebration does not end with marriage.  Would you marry her again if you had it to do over?  A special night out is a good way to tell her so.  Make plans – and a reservation – for a dinner date on the 14th, now, before the restaurants are booked solid.  Make it a nice restaurant; a special place.  Make it a special occasion.  

There are a number of good, classy restaurants in the Greenville area.  If you have the time, there are also nice restaurants in north Greenville and in Flat Rock, North Carolina.  This is the one night of the year that the expense is worth it.  Find the restaurant that will “click” for the two of you; find the restaurant that will be special for the two of you any time you go there in the future.

When you go, dress nicely.  No jeans, no sweatshirt, no baseball cap; wear a nice set of slacks and a nice shirt – maybe even a jacket; maybe even a tie!  Be the person she would like to be seen with.

Let her know that you are getting dressed up, so she knows to get dressed up, as well.  Tell her you want Valentine’s to be special.  You know she will like that.

Build the Relationship

It may be the age of women’s lib, cancel culture, and all the rest, but the reason for all the efort for Valentine’s Day is to let her know that she is important to you.  If you are married, you want to make sure she knows that she is still important to you, and always will be.  Talk is cheap.  You need to say it with your actions:  what you wear, where you go, the effort and time you put into making it all happen – you have to show that it matters.  So does she.

A shallow attempt – a token effort – makes a different statement.  If she has any sense, she will soon be gone.  If she does not feel that you think she is worth it, she will decide that you are not worth it.  

When you walk her out of the house to the car, walk her to her door and hold it open while she gets in.  Yes, she can do that all by herself just fine; that’s not the point.  Opening the door for her says you care.  Tell her you are “just being old-fashioned” – that you want the evening to be a special occasion for her.  

When you park at the restaurant, get out, walk around and open her door for her.  Take her hand as she moves to get out.  Again, she could do it, but make your relationship special.  Let her know she made a good choice.  Tell her you are “being romantic.”

Romantic is good

Of course, her actions should tell you the same thing.  Before you ever use the “L” word, what may have started as a casual relationship must become something much deeper, for both of you.  

Actions speak louder than words.  They also help you both get past the “date face”.  They help you see the other person as they are day-to-day, in a variety of moods.

Even if your relationship is still in the early stages, a Valentine’s Day night out is an unspoken way to say that you like how the two of you are progressing.

Once you have placed your orders with the restaurant’s waiter or waitress, what do you do?

You talk with her.  Turn off the cell-phone.  Don’t look at it; don’t answer any calls.  Make her your center of attention.  She has priority.  That is part of making her feel that she is special.  Build the relationship.

Be positive.  This is supposed to be a nice evening.  No negatives.  Keep the conversation upbeat and happy.  If you are still getting to know each other, tell her a story about something you like.  Ask her what she likes.

After dinner, what are your plans?  To stroll downtown?  To stop at a small ice cream shop?  Maybe walk a little in Falls Park, and get some passerby to take a picture of the two of you on the Liberty Bridge?

Make Valentine’s Day special for her, and it will also be special for you.

♥♥♥♥♥